Thursday, 28 December 2017

This 28mm range looks worth investigating. From Russia I think. The bottom pic is a WIP - still to be finished. Facebook page.
They say For this moment we produce 2 ranges of miniatures: 'Napoleonic
Era'(resin and white metal) and 'Thirty Years War' (resin only!). See
the images and all info about miniatures in appropriate albums.

Saturday, 23 December 2017

Christmas comes early - thanks to Benerson Little for finding this. Its
an image drawn from life in 1687 and it's a Sedgemoor scytheman.
Benerson says it's from 'Jamaica in 1687: The Taylor Manuscript' at the
National Library of Jamaica (Kingston: University of West Indies Press,
2008), edited by David Buisseret. John Taylor writes mainly about Jamaica
but he fought on the Royal side at Sedgemoor in the Horse.

Irish Fright

The Irish Fright was a mass panic that took place in England in December 1688, during the Glorious Revolution. It accompanied the final days of King James II's regime after his initially thwarted attempt to flee into exile in France. Troops of the JacobiteIrish Army
were stationed in England to prop up James II's authority but were
widely detested by the predominately Protestant population of England.
Rumours began to circulate in mid-December that the Irish soldiers
were preparing to carry out a campaign of massacre and pillage against
the English population in revenge for James's overthrow. False reports
of the Irish burning English towns and massacring inhabitants spread the
panic rapidly from London to at least nineteen English counties, whose
inhabitants formed armed militias to guard against supposed Irish
marauders. The panic subsided after a few days. It was never determined
who was responsible for sparking it, though contemporaries suspected
that it may have been the work of Orangist sympathisers seeking to further discredit James II

Thursday, 30 November 2017

Anyone know where I can find this?
Only could find this from here "Such a sight had never been seen in Devonshire. Many went forth half a
day's journey to meet the champion of their religion. All the
neighbouring villages poured forth their inhabitants. A great crowd,
consisting chiefly of young peasants, brandishing their weapons, had
assembled on the top of Holdron (sic) Hill, whence the army marching
from Chudleigh first descried the rich valley of the Esk (sic), and the
two massive towers rising from the cloud of smoke which overhung the
capital of the west. The road all down the long descent, and through the
plains to the banks of the river, was lined mile after mile, with
spectators. From the West-gate to the Cathedral-close, the pressing and
shouting on each side were such as reminded Londoners of the crowds on
the Lord Mayor's-day. The houses were gaily decorated; doors, windows,
balconies, and roofs were thronged with gazers. An eye accustomed to the
pomp of war would have found much to criticise in the spectacle. For
several toilsome marches in the rain, through roads where one who
travelled on foot sank, at every step, up to the ancles in clay, had not
improved the appearance either of the men or of their accoutrements.
But the people of Devonshire, altogether unused to the splendour of
well-ordered camps, were overwhelmed with delight and awe. Descriptions
of the martial pageant were circulated all over the kingdom. They
contained much that was well fitted to gratify the vulgar appetite for
the marvellous; for the Dutch army, composed of men who had been born in
various climates, and had served under various standards, presented an
aspect at once grotesque, gorgeous, and terrible to the islanders, who
had in general a very indistinct notion of foreign countries. First rode
Macclesfield, at the head of two hundred gentlemen, mostly of English
blood, glittering in helmets and cuirasses, and mounted on Flemish
war-horses. Each was attended by a negro, brought from the sugar
plantations on the coast of Guiana. The citizens of Exeter, who had
never seen so many specimens of the African race, gazed with wonder on
the black faces, set off by embroidered turbans and white feathers. Then
with drawn broadswords came a squadron of Swedish horsemen in black
armour and fur cloaks. They were regarded with strange interest; for it
was rumoured that they were natives of a land where the ocean was
frozen, and where the night lasted through half the year, and that they
themselves had slain the huge bears whose skins they wore. Next,
surrounded by a goodly company of gentlemen and pages, was borne aloft
the prince's banner. On its broad folds, the crowds which covered the
roofs and filled the windows read with delight that memorable
inscription, ' The Protestant Religion and the Liberties of England.'
But the acclamations redoubled when, attended by forty running footmen,
the Prince himself appeared, armed on back and breast, wearing a white
plume, and mounted on a white charger. With how martial an air he curbed
his horse, how thoughtful and commanding was the expression of his
ample forehead and falcon eye, may still be seen on the canvas of
Kneller. Once those grave features relaxed into a smile. It was when an
ancient woman, perhaps one of the zealous Puritans who, through
twenty-eight years of persecution, had waited with firm faith for the
consolation of Israel—perhaps the mother of some rebel who had perished
in the carnage of Sedgemoor, or in the more fearful carnage of the
Bloody Circuit—broke from the crowd, rushed through the drawn swords and
curvetting horses, touched the hand of the deliverer, and cried out
that now she was happy."

https://www.facebook.com/Historycznybot/
'Another interesting post is some pics of William III's camp. A series of very interesting sketches showing the army of William III of Orange in the camp of Leuven in 1675. Scenes from the life of the army, captured (I think "live") Josua de Grave(1643-1712). From the Rijksmuseum collection.'

Description

THE THRILLING NEW SERIES FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE 'OUTLAW CHRONICLES'.

Rogue, Rascal, Traitor . . . Hero?

London, Winter 1670.

Holcroft Blood has entered the employ of the Duke of Buckingham, one of
the most powerful men in the kingdom after the king. It is here that
his education really begins. With a gift for numbers and decoding
ciphers, Holcroft soon proves invaluable to the Duke, but when he's
pushed into a betrayal he risks everything for revenge.

His
father, Colonel Thomas Blood, has fallen on hard times. A man used to
fighting, he lives by his wits and survives by whatever means necessary.
When he's asked to commit treason by stealing the crown jewels, he puts
himself and his family in a dangerous situation - one that may end at
the gallows.

As the machinations of powerful men plot to
secure the country's future, both father and son must learn what it is
to survive in a more dangerous battlefield than war - the court of King
Charles II.

Here it was that the vanguard, or first line of the Prince of Orange's
army, was posted, when the Irish dragoons, who were posted in Reading,
finding they should be attacked in a few days, had put the town's
people into such a fright, by threatening to burn and plunder the town,
and cut all the peoples throats, that they sent express messengers to
the Dutch general officer Grave Van Nassau for help; who sent them a
detachment of but two hundred and eighty dragoons, though the troops in
the town were near seven hundred men. What success they met with, I
shall mention presently.

As I have noted above, it was here that the Dutch with two hundred
and eighty horse and dragoons, attacked the forces of the late King
James, in aid of the distress'd town's-men, who they threatened to
murther and plunder that very day. It was on a Sunday morning, that the
Irish dragoons had resolved on the design'd mischief, if they really
intended it: In order to it, they posted a guard at the principal church
in the piazza there, and might, indeed, easily have lock'd all the
people in, and have cut their throats; also they placed a company of
foot in the church-yard of another church, over-against the Bear Inn; so
that if they really did not intend to massacre the people, as their
officers said they did not, yet that way of posting their men, joyn'd to
the loud oaths and protestations, that they would do it, made it look
as like such a design, as any thing unexecuted, or unattempted, could
do.In this posture things stood when the Dutch entered the town: The
Irish had placed a centinel on the top of the steeple of the great
church, with orders, if he saw any troops advance, to fire his piece,
and ring the bell; the fellow, being surprised with the sight, for he
discovered the Dutch but a little before they reached the town, fired
his musquet, but forgot to ring the bell, and came down. However, his
firing gave the alarm sufficiently, and the troops in the town, who were
all under arms before, whether for the designed execution, or not, I
will not determine; but, I say, being under arms before, they had little
more to do, but to post their troops, which they did with skill enough,
being commanded by Sir John Lanier, an experienced officer, and colonel
of a regiment of horse in King James's army; and had the men done their
duty, they might easily have repuls'd the few troops that attacked
them; but the Dutch entering the town in two places, one by the ordinary
road from Newbery,
and the other by the Broad Street near where the horse-fair is kept,
forc'd both the posts, and entered the market place, where the main body
of the Irish troops were drawn up.The first party of the Dutch found a company of foot drawn up in
the church-yard over-against the Bear Inn, and a troop of dragoons in
the Bear Inn yard; the dragoons hearing the Dutch were at hand, their
officer bravely drew them out of the inn yard, and faced the Dutch in
the open road, the churchyard wall being lined with musquetiers to flank
the street; the Dutch, who came on full gallop, fell in upon the
dragoons, sword in hand, and with such irresistable fury, that the Irish
were immediately put into confusion, and after three or four minutes
bearing the charge, they were driven clear out of the street. At the
very same instant, another party of the Dutch dragoons, dismounting,
entered the church-yard, and the whole body posted there, fled also,
with little or no resistance, not sufficient, indeed, to be called
resistance. After this, the dragoons, mounting again, forced their
squadrons, and entered the market place.Here, the troops being numerous, made two or three regular
discharges; but finding themselves charged in the rear by the other
Dutchmen, who had by this time entered the said Broad Street, they not
knowing the strength, or weakness of their enemy, presently broke, and
fled by all the ways possible. Sir John Lanier, having a calash and six
horses, got away with the first, though he was twice headed by a Dutch
trooper, who endeavoured to shoot one of the horses, but miss'd his
shot, so the colonel got away.The Dutch having cleared the town, pursued some of them as far as Twyford,
and such was the terror that they were in, that a person, from whom I
had this part of the relation, told me, he saw one Dutch trooper chase
twelve of the Irish dragoons to the river near Twyford,
and ride into the water a good way after them; nor durst Sir John
Lanier's regiment of horse, and Sir John Fenwick's, and a third, whose
colonel I do not remember, advance to relieve their friends, though
they, having had the alarm, stood drawn up on the hill on Twyford
side of the river, where they might see by what a contemptible number
their numerous party was pursued; for there were not above five and
forty, or fifty at most, of the Dutch, that pursued about three hundred
of the Irish dragoons to Twyford.Thus the town of Reading
was delivered from the danger they were threatned with, and which they
as really expected, as they expected the sun would rise. It is true, the
Irish officers denied afterwards, that there was any such design, or
that they intended to offer the people any violence; but it is true,
that several of their soldiers confess'd it, and gave private
intimations of it, to the people in the houses where they quartered,
especially some that had been kindly treated in their quarters, and had a
little more gratitude and humanity than the rest.I cannot omit to observe one thing here, to which I was an
eye-witness, and which will resolve a difficulty that to this day has
puzzled the understandings of a great many people, if not of the whole
nation; namely, That here began the universal alarm that spread over the
whole kingdom (almost at the same time) of the Irish being coming to
cut every bodies throats: The brief account of which, because it has
something curious in it I believe will be agreeable to you. The state of
it is thus:As the terror which the threatnings of these Irishmen had brought upon the whole town of Reading,
obliged the magistrates, and chief of the inhabitants, to apply to the
Prince of Orange's army for immediate help, so you cannot doubt, but
that many of the inhabitants fled for their lives by all the ways that
they could; and this was chiefly in the night; for in the day the
soldiers, who had their eyes every where, stopped them, and would not
permit them to stir, which still increased their terror.Those that got away, you may be sure, were in the utmost fright and
amazement, and they had nothing less in their mouths, but that the
Irish would (and by that time had) burnt the town, and cut the throats
of all the people, men, women, and children. I was then at Windsor, and in the very interval of all this fright, King James being gone, and the army retreated from Salisbury,
the Lord Feversham calls the troops together, and causing them to lay
down their arms, disbands them, and gives them leave, every man, to go
whither they would.

The Irish dragoons, which had fled from Reading, rallied at Twyford, and having not lost many of their number (for there were not above twelve men killed) they marched on for Maidenhead,
swearing, and cursing, after most soldierly a manner, that they would
burn all the towns where-ever they came, and cut the throats of all the
people. However, whether it was, that they thought themselves too near
the Dutch at Maidenhead, or what else was the matter, they did not offer to take quarters at Maidenhead,
the town also being full of King James's troops, so they marched on for
Colebrook, blustering in the same manner, of what they would do when
they came there. The town of Colebrook had notice of their coming, and
how they had publickly threatened to burn the town, and murther all the
people; but, happily for them, they had quartered there a regiment of
Scots foot, of those regiments which King James had caused to march from
Scotland to his aid on this occasion; and they had with them, as was
the usage of all the foot in those times, two pieces of cannon, that is
to say, field-pieces, and they stood just in the market-place, pointing
westward to the street where these gentlemen were to come.The people of Colebrook applied immediately to the Scots colonel,
whose name I am very sorry I cannot remember, because it is to his
honour that I should mention it, and begged his protection. The colonel
calling together a council of his officers, immediately resolved, they
would make good their quarters, unless they received orders from their
superior officers to quit them, and that they would defend the town from
plunder; and upon this, immediately the drums beat to arms, and the
regiment came together in a few moments: It was in the depth of winter,
and, by consequence, was night, and being a wet day, the evening was
exceeding dark, when some advanced centinels gave notice, that they
heard the drums beat the dragoons march, at some distance upon the road.Upon this the colonel ordered a lieutenant, with thirty
musqueteers, to make an advanced guard at the extreme part of the town,
and he was supported by another party of forty men, most pikes, at a
small distance, who were to advance upon a signal; and if these last
should ingage, the drums of the whole regiment were to beat a march, and
half the battalion, to advance with the two pieces of cannon.It was near ten a clock at night before the dragoons reached the
town, when the two advanced dragoons, which, by the discipline at that
time, always rode at a distance from the regiment, were challenged by
the centinels placed by the lieutenant, as above; upon which they gave
notice to the regiment, who immediately halted, and an officer, with
some dragoons (they could not tell how many, because it was dark) came
up, and demanded, Who they were that challenged? the centinel called his
corporal, and he the serjeant, with three files of musqueteers, and
they told the officer what regiment they belong'd to, and that they had
orders to stop any troops from entering the town, 'till their colonel
should be acquainted with it and give farther orders.The dragoons, as the ground would admit, drew up in front, and
their officers began to huff and threaten, that they were the king's
troops, and within the line of the army; that they must have quarters in
the town, and ought not to be refused by their own side.By this time the lieutenant came up also: He gave the officer of
dragoons very good words, and told him, He knew too well what belonged
to the duty of a subaltern officer, to blame him for doing his duty; but
that the regiment was under arms, and the colonel at the head of them
in the market-house, and he would immediately send to him for orders,
and doubted not, but that the colonel would give them quarters in the
town. The dragoons, not satisfied with this civil usage, threatened,
swore rag'd, and damning the colonel, and the regiment, though not
present, said they would have quarters without asking leave of any man,
and the officer turning about to a sergeant, bid him go back, and cause
the regiment to advance.The lieutenant told him calmly, He was sorry to see him act so; but
if that was his resolution, he was ready for him, and immediately
called out to his sergeant to give the signal to the next party to
advance, and told the officer of dragoons, that if he stirred one foot
forward, or any of his men, he would fire upon them immediately. The
forty men advanced, and in two minutes after, they could hear the drums
of the regiment beat the Scots march.Upon this, the dragoons halted again, and the major of the dragoons
advancing to the parlee, the lieutenant colonel of the foot was also
come up to the lieutenant's party, with the forty men, and with the
colonel's answer to the demand of quarters; namely, That if the dragoons
had any orders in writing from the general for quartering in the town,
or for marching that way, he was very ready to give them admittance; but
if not they were his quarters, and he would defend them to the last
man, and no-body should come in there, especially at that time of night.The dragoons, however, insulted and menac'd the major also, and
that at such a rate, that he gave orders immediately to acquaint the
colonel of it, who instantly advanced, in full march, with the whole
regiment, having about one hundred links lighted to let them see the
way, the night being exceeding dark.When the dragoons saw this, and having no stomach to engage, they
desisted; but raged and stormed at such a rate, as I cannot express, and
taking the road to Stanes, swore, they would go thither, and burn the town, and kill man, woman and child.Those blusters were so loud, and the fellows, by nation, such as
from whom it might be expected, as put the people of Colebrook, the
fright they had been in for themselves being a little over, into a
second concern for their neighbours at Stanes, and some of them shewed the concern to be so real, that they sent express upon express to Stanes,
to acquaint the people there of their danger, knowing there was, at
that time, only two companies of foot, of Colonel-----'s regiment, in
the town. When these messengers came there, they found the people
already alarmed by others, who had come from the same town of Colebrook,
in the first fright, with the news, that the Irish were coming to burn
the said town of Colebrook, and that, by that time, they did not
question but they had done it, and they were surprized to hear now, that
it was not done; but upon the arriving of these messengers, bringing
word, that they had burnt Colebrook, but for the assistance of the Scots
regiment; and that they were coming to Stanes,
and swore, they would kill man, woman and child; it is impossible to
express the consternation of the people: Away they run out of the town,
dark, and rainy, and midnight as it was, some to Kingston, some over the heath to Hownslow, and Brentford, some to Egham, and some to Windsor,
with the dreadful news; and by that tune they reached those places,
their fears had turned their story from saying, they would burn and
kill, to they had burned and killed, and were coming after you to do the
like.The same alarm was carried by others from Colebrook to Uxbridge;
for thither the dragoons were for marching at first; and thus, some one
way, and some another, it spread like the undulations of the water in a
pond, when a flat stone is cast upon the surface: From Brentford and Kingston, and from Uxbridge,
it came severally, and by different roads, to London, and so, as I may
say, all over England; nor is it wonderful, that it seemed to be all
over the nation in one day, which was the next after this beginning;
Fear gave wings to the news, no post could carry it as it flew from town
to town, and still every messenger had two articles with him. 1. Not
that such and such towns were to be burnt and plundered by them; but
that they were already burnt; and 2. That the Irish were at their heels
to do the like.This, I think, is a clear account of this alarm, and what can be
more natural? Colebrook was not the case, for where-ever the Colebrook
men came, they were asked, If their town was down? I rode the next
morning to Maidenhead: At Slough they told me, Maidenhead was burnt, and Uxbridge, and Reading, and I know not how many more, were destroy'd; and when I came to Reading, they told me, Maidenhead and Okingham were burnt, and the like. From thence I went to Henley,
where the Prince of Orange, with the second line of his army, entered
that very afternoon, and there they had had the same account, with the
news of King James's flight; and thus it spread every way insensibly.
The manner is too recent in memory, to need my giving any description of
it.

Arquebusier Magazine Vol 35, 4
Noticed there's an article in this issue's Arquebusier - journal of the Pike and Shot society on the subject of which I have often mused on that is what would have happened if the army of James II had met William of Orange's forces in battle? Detailed analysis of both sides plus a scenario. Sounds good.